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Vestibule
Vestibule is a male minotaur fighter in the Emeron campaign. Summary Vestible was a servant and bodyguard of the arch-wizard Meile. He was later sent to Goric to warn Ferris Gerabaldi and protect him. He accompanied Ferris on several of his adventures on Goric, eventually returning to his homeworld with Ferris. History Background Vestibule was a hired servant of an arch wizard named Meile. Meile specialized in summoning creatures from other worlds and realms and occasionally would need some extra muscle in slaying unruly visiting creatures. When not body guarding Vestibule would perform manual labor for Meile. Vestibule met Ferris Gerabaldi when the young half-elf came into Meile's service and the minotaur attempted, unsuccessfully, to stop Keysbee when the kender burst into Meile's experiment that ended up teleporting Ferris and Keysbee to Goric. Meile labored to locate and return Ferris and Keysbee. At last he found them but as he was about to return them his the tower was attacked by a group of followers of the Dragon Queen, led by Ferris' old nemesis Salvok. The villains were in search of a tome Melie had and Melie ordered Vestibule to travel to Goric and warn Ferris, which the minotaur dutifully did. As he fled went through the portal, Vestibule saw Salvok and his allies breech Melie's chamber, slaying the wizard. On Goric As Meile had intended, Vestibule arrived right near Ferris and the rest of the Heroes of Prophecy. He warned them of what he saw, and discovered that the Dragon Queen had launched her machinations on Goric as well. Ferris explained that he and his companions were looking to gather magical artifacts to prevent the Dragon Queen's minions from getting them. Vestibule declared that as his Meile's last orders were to protect Ferris that he would do so. To that end he accompanied Ferris and the Heroes to Emeron City. A Carnival Interlude Once the heroes returned to Emeron City Jon Sumnim and Jaymes Chickwood provided a next portion of the Yotorian Prophecy that Ferris and his companions had been following. The translation indicated that Dedekind Fried needed to go "home." Some divination revealed that the traveling circus where he was raised was moving to the rural estate of Iest. On the 19th of Skeleton, Vestibule accompanied Dedekind, Kagami, Qualin, Ferris, and Keysbee reached the carnival, set up in the village. They found that the carnival had been taken over by the fortune teller, Esther, a witch who had taken Dedekind's tongue. She had apparently come into the Amulet of Yotia and turned the previous leader of the carnival, Fitzgerald, into a mutated toad who was now in the freak show. Under her leadership she the carnival was earning a great deal of money and had unearthed the Brewmaster's Girdle of Binge and Modee's Hat of Performance which they used in their shows. However everyone was terrified of Esther and would far rather have seen her gone. Dedikind concocted a plan to infiltrate the carnival by pretending to sell Keysbee and Vestibule (neither of whose people were native to Goric) to the freak show while the rest of the group found and rescued Fitzgerald and returned him to his normal form. Ultimately A battle took place, wherein the Heroes of Prophecy defeated Esther and the carnies loyal to her and turned Fitzgerald back to his human form. The heroes spared Esther and those who had followed her in the fight and Fitzgerald pardoned all except for Esther, whom he banished. The bearer of the Girdle of Binge had been slain in the fighting and so the Heroes of Prophecy were able too collect it but the bearer of the hat, a carnie named Horace, refused to part with it. Dedekind was able to convince him to come with them, arguing that his bardic skills and adventuring would earn him far more coin than the carnival. A Betrayal While returning traveling from Iest to Emeron City the Heroes of Prophecy were accosted by Baron Christopher Ravenut. He demanded to know where the artifacts they'd collected were and was hostile at first. Dandy Lion spoke with the baron and he agreed to hear them out. He explained that he believed that Sir Zadric Trield, whom they were working for, was gathering the items for a nefarious purpose and not to safeguard them as he had told the Heroes. They declined to hand over the artifacts in their possession, and explained that they'd already given the Club of Galmar to Sir Zadric, but agreed to investigate him and departed. Kagami, who had sworn her service to Zadric, was especially affronted at the thought that he may have been deceiving them. On the 25th of Skeleton they reached Crossroad and Qualin, Kagami and Dandy confronted Sir Zadric about Baron Christopher's claims while Vestibule, Ferris, and Keysbee waited outside the manor house with Lylena, Booknut, and Dedekind.. Zadric denied their claims, but invited them to leave his service if they were displeased. They decreed that they were going to leave his service for Baron Christopher's and Zadric attacked them. Vestibule enthusiastically joined the frey, but the battle was incredibly fierce. and the minotaur had to admit that he may not have been able to slay Zadric alone and was glad for the assistance of the rest of the group. Investigation of Zadric's manor revealed that he had sent the club south to Eddie Drezzen, (who at this time was an impostor) and that the two were in league with someone named Sedrina. At this Qualin chimed in, explaining that a liche called Sedrina the Souless had destroyed the Order of the Fadalithis. Dandy informed them that Eddie was, in fact, an impostor and that while she didn't know where the real Eddie was, the one working with the others was using his name and good reputation. The heroes sent Booknut to Emeron City to report to professors Sumnim and Chickwood and after determining that Zadric's squire, Yuden Vittel, was not involved in his schemes, let him go. The Expedition South The prophecy indicated that the Heroes of Prophecy would need to be heading south to face Sedrina the Soulless and the impostor of Eddie Drezzen. Seeking assistance, Qualinthalis called upon the only other member of the Order of the Fadalithis he could find, an elf named Thorinislanthali (who as called Thorinis by most non-elves). Dandy Lion called upon her old allies Trista Ravenlark and Taltharian, informing them that Eddie was an impostor and might know where the real Eddie is. Thorinis joined the expedition and Trista and Taltharian advised they would meet them on the way. The party traveled to Fishton and caught a ship to the Glave Woods where they traveled to the capital to seek an audience with Queen Parthalanis the ruler of the Glavewood Kingdom. Dandy was already acquainted with her and was able to use that to gain an audience with her on the 6th of Wolverine, 1129. Ferris, for his part, was fascinated to see the elven civilization of Goric and learn all he could about it while he was there. Vestibule was primarily concerned with keeping Ferris safe and ignoring the withering glares he earned from the elves. Only Dandy and Qualin were granted an audience, and they warned the queen about the prophecy and that nefarious individuals would be after the Bow of Corellon Larethian. Queen Parthalanis stated that the bow was safe in the hands of her champion, Ranenthalentos, and would remain as such. She did thank them for their information, however. Within a day of the audience, the Heroes were approached by an elf named Larentheon, who advised that he was a cleric of Corellon Larethian and that the head of the church had a vision that the bow would fall into nefarious hands. The Heroes were dubious but agreed to meet and the next day met with an elf named Janelthalian, who stated that she had seen the vision and proposed to remove the Bow of Corellon Larethian from Ranenthalentos so it could be hidden to keep safe from the enemy. Dandy openly revealed that Janelthalian had evil in her heart and the group attempted to apprehend her for the Queen's justice. However she fought back fiercely, ultimately revealing that she was the green dragon Emerald. However the city's defenses would be too much all at once even for a dragon so she fled the area. Investigation revealed that the real Janelthalian had received no divine visions, and had no idea someone had been impersonating her. With a final warning to the Throne and to Ranenthalentos the Heroes departed. The Retaking of the Academy of the Fadalithis The Heroes of Prophecy sailed to the southern part of the forest and disembarking and heading east to reach the Academy of the Fadalithis. Qualinthalis and Thorinis led the way with great zeal. On the 16th of Wolverine, they reached the fortified hall. Using a small silver mine connected to the Academy they slipped into the building. Over the course of two days the Heroes of Prophecy cleared out the undead. Vestibule proved to be instrumental to the fighting, slaying many undead, though his primary purpose was to ensure Ferris safety. The heroes were victorious, slaying all the undead including Karinthena, grandmother was Sedrina the Souless had destroyed the order and turned her into a Banshee forever cursed to haunt the order and kill any living creature that entered. The fighting was fierce though and both Thorinis and Keysbee fell to Karinthena before she was destroyed. They were able to recover the Torch of Everburning, however, preventing another artifact from being misused by evil. Vestibule was saddened at the death of Keysbee, in spite of the fact that he disliked the kender and his frequent attempts to get Vestibule to moo. Still, he did not wish death upon him, and his death saddened the minotaur. Facing Sedrina the Souless The Heroes of Prophecy found evidence that Sedrina the Souless had a tower in the Brokenback Swamps. Not only was she responsible for the monsters at the Academy of the Fadalithis that had slain Keysbee and Thorinis, but she seemed to be connected to the conspiracy to collect the artifacts. They left the Glave Woods for the Brokenback Swamps on 18th of Wolverine. En route they were ambushed by Esther, sent by Sedrina, but also eager to gain revenge on Dedekind. She was accompanied by a great deal of undead, but the Heroes of Prophecy were victorious and Esther was slain. On the way they met a trio of other adventurers on their way to slay the liche rumored to be in the swamps and claim the treasure for themselves. An undead hunter named Gabriel led the party, which also included a bard named Elrude and a rouge named Zalin. After some discussion they agreed to join forces. Within two days they had reached Sedrina's tower. Killing the undead guarding the front they moved in, fighting their way through the undead found there until they reached the top floor, where they faced Sedrina and Ferris' old nemesis Salvok. Vestibule charged Salvok, bellowing Melie's name and declaring vengeance, but the villain's magic promptly turned him to stone. He a few days later when Ferris was able to break the spell and return him to normal. Vestibule learned that the fight had been incredibly fierce and that while Sedrina had been destroyed, Salvok had escaped and Qualin, Gabriel and Zalin had been slain. Joined by two new allies that Dandy and Horace had found, a half-elven ranger named Samara and a gnoll named Ebon Razorfang whom Samara vouched for, they continued south to further the quest. An Unintended Diversion On the 2nd of Sloth, Vestibule and Ferris arrived in Cliffshire along with Dandy, Dedekind, Ebon Razorfang, Elrude, Horace, and Samara. There, inquiries about Gimo's Playing Cards brought them to the attention of a halfling named Ganni Luckyfoot. He stated that he'd heard rumors that the cards were in the Uphigh Mountains, and that he was considering an expedition. They negotiated a deal and departed for the mountains with Ganni. While in the mountains they were attacked by a group of cyclopeses. Ferris cast one of his spells but, perhaps still haunted by recent events, the spell misfired and teleported the entire group (as well as the cyclopses they were fighting) all the way north into the Dwarven Mountains. Once they'd gathered their bearings they decided to get back to Cliffshire via a side trip to Emeron City. By the 19th they reached Emeron City. There they reunited with Lylena and Kagami, who agreed to re-join them, though Dandy opted to remain in Emeron with Ebon. Ferris also took the opportunity to hire Martok Stonecutter, a dwarven cleric of Clangeddin, for divine magical support, and to wield the Axe of Clangeddin. After much discussion, and considering the near death of everyone in Sedrina's tower, they handed many of the artifacts off to Jon Sumnim and Jaymes Chickwood for safekeeping. They also requested the archmages to magically teleport them to Cliffshire, to which they agreed. On the 22nd of Sloth, 1129 the Heroes of Prophecy were magically transported to Cliffshire to continue their quest for Gimo's Playing Cards. Forced to continued with cyclopes and giants they managed to ascend the Uphigh Mountains and found the Temple of Gimo located on a rock formation in the center of a volcano. They came up on a group led by Kagami's brother, Kaze, and in an epic fight slew the party, with the Samurai slaying her brother and throwing him into the volcano. Sadly Elrude too fell in the battle. With the cards in hand, the heroes returned to Cliffshire to continue their journey. Returning North Ferris decided to remain in Cliffshire briefly to attempt to address his recent spell misfires and then take the Playing Cards of Gimo to Tralpar to rendezvous with the others. Vestibule and Kagami stayed with him as escorts and bodyguards. Once Ferris was ready to travel again they made their way to Rivershire and chartered a boat north to Zoupland. While in Zoupland they were briefly detained when an assassin manged to frame Ferris for the murder of a city official. Vestibule and Kagami were forced to find the real killer in order to save Ferris. As soon as the wizard was freed, they left for Tralpar to await a rendezvous with their friends. Reunion and a Plan Once the 15th of Toad, 1130, Dedekind Fried, Lylena, Martok Stonecutter, Samara, Trista Ravenlark, Taltharian, Friar Chuck Goldschläger, and the real Eddie Drezzen reached Tralpar and reunited with Ferris, Kagami and Vestibule. They explained that they'd slain the impostor of Eddie and rescued the real one, recovered the Shield of Yondolla, and learned that the dragon Starr was heading back north to try to recover the last few items and perform some ritual, though they did not know the intent of it beyond the vague warnings of the prophecy. After much discussion they decided to split up. Trista, Eddie, Taltharian and Kagami would head west to attempt to secure the assistance of the elves of the Glave Woods. Meanwhile, Dedekind, Lylena, Samara, Friar Chuck, Ferris, Vestibule and Morak would proceed north to try to catch and slow down Starr's party. They also took the precaution of splitting the artifacts in their possession between the two groups as well. Once the latter group reached Emeron City Ferris and Lylena consulted with Professors Sumnim and Chickwood, who informed them that they'd unearthed another part of the prophecy and that they believed they knew Starr's plan. They said that if completed, the enemy would be able to allow the Dragon Queen into Goric, where it could ascend to Godhood alongside their gods as well. Ferris and Vestibule reminded the heroes that they know of her and her teachings, and that she was powerful and deeply malevolent. The professors stated that the ritual would need to be completed by the end of the month or the enemy would miss their chance, but that they did not need all of the artifacts to perform it. They said that while more artifacts would lead to the Dragon God being more powerful, the ritual could be completed with as little as one. To that end, they revealed that the next part of the prophecy would require the heroes to return to the Dwarven Mountains. A few days later Trista, Eddie, Taltharian and Kagami arrived in Emeron and advised that the elves heard the out and said they would consider their request, but that they did not expect that Queen Parthalanis would send any aid. The Heroes of Prophecy decided to head north to try to secure the last few artifacts spoken of in the prophecy, but they did not yet know where the enemy planned to conduct the ritual. Ferris, Vestibule and Lylena remained behind in Emeron City to help Sumnim and Chickwood figure out where it would be. After nearly two weeks of research they finally managed to determine the location: Thorgain Peak, the highest point of the Dwarven Mountains. The trio headed north as quickly as possible to warn the others and come up with a plan. They arrived in Thorgain City on the 15th of Horse, 1130, and met up with the rest of the Heroes of Prophecy. They quickly learned that the Hammer of Moradin was held in the possession of the Church of Moradin. They decided to warn the church that a dragon was likely going to come for it. The church's chief guardian, Balim Silverblade, ultimately was convinced to allow the Heroes of Prophecy to help guard the hammer. That night, the green dragon Emerald took the form of Balim and was able to cast a spell that incapacitated the guardians just long enough for him to flee. The heroes gave chase, but Emerald, still disguised as Balim, ordered the other defenders of the church to attack the Heroes of Prophecy while a liche lobbed spells at them to further confuse and slow the heroes down. The fight turned out to be incredibly fierce. The heroes managed to slay the liche, but Emerald got away with the Hammer of Moradin. Worse, Dedekind was killed and Taltharian and Martok were turned into statues. The Heroes of Prophecy spent the next few days recovering and convincing the dwarven authorities to field a force to Thorgain Peak. Ferris and Lylena were able to restore Taltharian and Martok, to their normal form. Vestibule had little in the way of mourning for Dedekind, as he'd found the bard to be completely useless, cowardly and greedy. The Battle at Thorgain Peak The Heroes of Prophecy convinced the dwarven authorities to field a force of troops to travel to Thorgain Peak, where the ritual to summon the Dragon Queen would be performed. General Harlock Hammerhand would lead a hastily gathered force of 200 dwarves there alongside the surviving Heroes of Prophecy: Lylena, Ferris, Samara, Vestibule, Friar Chuck Goldschläger, Martok Stonecutter, as well as Eddie Drezzen and Taltharian. On the 15th of Unicorn, 1130, the forces reached Thorgain Peak, where they found that Salvok was already performing the ritual behind a seemingly impenetrable magical shield. Worse, the dragons Emerald and Starr were awaiting them and immediately engaged the assembled forces. Thankfully the heroes were not alone. While the others hunted for the final artifacts, Kagami of Towa and Dandy Lion had convinced Baron Christopher Ravenut to march a force to Thorgain Peak to lend assistance. During the immense battle Emerald was slain. While the forces battled the dragons Salvok was able to conclude his ritual and an immense portal opened allowing a five headed dragon to emerge and immediately begin laying waste to the gathered troops, slaughtering scores of soldiers as all five heads breathed death incarnate upon them. However the conclusion of the spell also lowered the shield. Ferris dueled Salvok one last time, slaying the black robed wizard and the Heroes of Prophecy stormed the portal. Vestibule gave the battle his all, tearing into the hide of the Dragon Queen alongside the other Heroes of Prophecy. Fortunately they were able to force the Dragon Queen back to her own realm. As the portal closed and the Dragon Queen was banished for Goric forever more, the clouds begin to coalesce into the shapes of heads. The God's whose artifacts had been used appeared to the mere mortals of the world. The deities offered a boon to each of the Heroes of Prophecy. Ferris asked for he and Vestibule to be returned home, but the Gods stated that they could not interfere with another world. Vestibule asked to be forever free of the need to sleep, so that he might properly guard Ferris at all hours so he could find a way for them to return home. The Return Home After the Battle at Thorgain Peak Ferris and Vestibule returned to Emeron City, where Ferris spent a fair amount of time furthering his research. He designed a number of spells, several of which have been regularly used in Goric ever since. Eventually he was able to replicate the spell that brought him to Goric send Vestibule and himself home. Once in his home realm, Ferris found that he was able to draw magical power from the three moons of his home world as before, but that the methods he'd mastered in Goric of manipulating the very fabric of reality worked there too. As a result he quickly became one of the most powerful arch-mages of his world and Vestibule remained by his side, serving as his bodyguard until he grew too old to effectively do so. Vestibule eventually retired, returning to live among his people and bask in the glory of being able to say he'd battled the Dragon Queen herself. Abilities Vestibule was an enormous and fierce warrior who was especially skilled with the greataxe. Though he appeared to be a mindless brute to many, he was in fact fairly intelligent and while he did not grasp the ability to conduct magic, he was able to recognize it and it's trappings when he saw them, occasionally even identifying when a simple spell was being cast merely from watching the wizard perform the magic. Vestibule also had a spectacular singing voice. Category:Emeron Category:Characters Category:NPCs